Hiked 17 miles camping at Dean Lake @ 7385ft

The cold and the blowdowns took itnout of us yesterday and we are up laaate. I definitely prefer getting up early so I can take lots of breaks, but when you are hiking with others and they are still in camp it’s haaaaard to get up.

Grizzly has woken up with a sinus infection, so hopefully the sleep in did him some good.

We hike through large burn sections with more blow downs, but nothing compared to yesterday. Crunchmaster’s feet are pretty torn up from the past couple of days – wearing goretex shoes means when they get wet they are wet a looong time.

I hike ahead, calling out my “hey bear”s and scaring I imagine thousands pf bears off the trail in front of me. Over trees, under trees.

Grizzly catches up just before the junction to the spotted bear alternate. Another hiker, Stephen, is at the junction eating lunch. We all sit in the sun and eat, get some water from the passing creek. Yesterday was freezing, today we are burning. Crazy weather out here.

It starts getting really pretty and lush, still with loooots of river amd stream crossings- sometimes via logs, sometimes rock hopping, and sometimes we have no choice but to march straight through the water. We have a climb up to where we are camping tonight and take a break before we head up. Everyone else took a wrong turn, so Beacon, Mermaid, Waitup, Lucky Strike and Stephen all pass us as we are sitting  (they passed us during our lazy sleeping in morning).

6 miles up and it’s haaard. But beautiful. I hike past louuud ribbon falls that are falling from high peaks above. It’s time to bring out the big guns and I turn my “Climbing Mountains” playlist to give me extra oomph to make it to the top.

Somehow I manage to pass everyone, except speedy Grizzly and Crunchmaster of course. The last mile or so is through some snow banks and it is mosquito city and getting cold when I arrive at Dean Lake, our camp spot for the night.

The water is pure blue snow melt, set against gorgeous mountains. Amazing. Ok Bob. I’ll stop swearing at you and your blown down trees.

Some ramen in my tummy and it’s sleepy time. Goodnight!